How to choose the type of pond liner

Here at AquaLiners Direct, we have put together a guide on how to choose the best pond liner for your project and requirements

Pond Design

Before considering the pond lining options available, you should choose the design of the pond itself. There are two main types of pond:

A natural pond design usually has sloped sides and an irregular shape. It can be edged with grass, paving slabs or planting to soften the outer perimeter of the pond. Natural designs range in size from a small garden pond up to a large lake.

A formal or ornamental pond design, often used as part of the architecture of a garden or for Koi/fish ponds, normally has straight vertical sides. This design can be square, rectangular or circular (or a mix) and may include steps for planting.

You should also consider whether you want a stream or waterfall incorporated into your design. These are not difficult to include; you can see more detail about how to install them on our waterfalls and streams technical page.

Pond Lining Options

Natural ponds and lakes are lined with a flat sheet liner. The flexibility of a rubber or PVC liner means that they can be folded and manipulated to fit around any corners or steps in the design to create a snug fit.

There are 3 types of flat sheet pond liner:

Firestone Pond Liner: a 1.02mm thick EPDM rubber, Firestone is our top of the range lining material, which can be used for all ponds up to large lakes.

SealEco Pond Liner: 0.75mm EPDM rubber, SealEco is a great alternative to Firestone, providing a super durable material with greater flexibility due to the reduced material thickness, which means it performs really well with slightly more complicated designs.

aquaPLAN PVC Pond Liner: 0.5mm PVC, aquaPLAN is our low cost pond liner option. It’s great for small garden ponds and water features where the thicker materials are not required.

You can find out more about these lining materials on their relevant product pages or on our pond liner comparison.

Formal ponds can be custom made using a box welded liner to the exact requirements of the pond design. These liners are made from SealEco 0.75mm, with a welded base and flange at the top for fixing. The benefit of this type of liner is that there are no unsightly folds because the liner fits the exact shape of the pond. To find out more, see Box Welded Liners.

We always recommend that all pond liners are fitted with pond underlay. Underlay is used to protect the liner from any roots, stones or other debris that could cause damage to the liner. This is important to maximise the life of the liner, as much of this debris may come to the surface over the time as ground movements occur.